Your privacy is extremely important. Because this research explores several very personal topics, your answers will be held in the strictest confidence. Any information that could be used to identify you will be removed from your responses and other study information. Your responses will be combined with those from other study participants and researchers will analyze the combined information to find ways to improve overall mental health. Your answers will never be shared with anyone in the Army unless you indicate that you are in imminent danger of harming yourself or someone else.

Your participation in Army STARRS is strictly voluntary and vitally important to the outcomes of the study. The greater the number of Soldiers who participate in the study, the more successful researchers will be in identifying the risk and protective factors that affect Soldiers’ psychological well-being. By joining Army STARRS, you may influence and shape the Army’s ongoing health promotion, risk reduction, and suicide-prevention efforts, which could lead to improved resources for you and your family. In addition, because psychological well-being is important for Americans from all walks of life, the findings from Army STARRS will benefit the nation as a whole.

Joining Army STARRS is strictly voluntary. If researchers invite you to be part of the study, you can decide whether or not to do so. However, your participation is very important because the greater the number of Soldiers who participate in the study, the more successful researchers will be in identifying the factors that affect Soldiers’ well-being.

Beginning in 2011, researchers may invite you to volunteer to participate in Army STARRS. Your role may involve filling out questionnaires, doing a telephone interview, or donating blood samples. The samples will help researchers learn how experiences and genetics affect mental health. Some Soldiers may volunteer once, while others may be asked to participate over a longer period of time. This approach will allow researchers to identify factors that predict which individuals may experience mental health challenges.

Your participation is strictly voluntary and very valuable. Because psychological well-being is important for Americans from all walks of life, researchers believe the findings from this study will benefit not only servicemembers and the Army, but the country as a whole.

Although Army STARRS will run through 2014, research findings will be reported as they become available so the Army and others may use them in ongoing health promotion, risk reduction, and suicide prevention efforts. Researchers will report their findings to Army leaders directly, to servicemembers through this Web site, and to other researchers and other health professionals through articles published in research journals (links to the articles will be posted on this site). Check back often throughout the study period.